[ThomDP]

Alright I have $650 to spend on a new or used tube amp and I can't make up my mind and I can't pull the trigger. My speakers are 6ohm 91db, so efficiency isn't an issue. My shortlist is as follows.

1. Jolida 202a
2. Jolida 102b
3 GTA SE40 (I'll use the preamp section of my integrated until I can find something)
4. Yaqin mc10l
5. Yaqin mc84l
6. Victory 300b. I just discovered this on ebay. A 300b integrated amp for $500!. Certainly it is one of the cheapest 300b amps i've ever seen. Something tells me that the it may sound overly soft and mushy, but what the hell do I know.

[BobM]

Hell, you could spend more than that retubing it with something a bit better than the el-cheapo Chinese 300B's that are no doubt in there.

Then there's resale to consider, if you don't like it. Nobody has heard of it before.

Bob

[sbrtoy]

As per Bob's comment, Jolida is the only well known brand you mentioned, so it is the safest bet as far as resale and also for service availability. 

One of the biggest problems with buying Chinese products is many of them have no US distribution or repair so if it goes south you either need to be able to fix it yourself or know a competent tech, or send it back to China assuming it even has a warranty here.

[Brad]

Agreed that the safer bet is with US distribution.

That said, a friend of mine picked up the Yaquin 6v6 amp from eb*y Hong Kong.
It is built like a tank, looks great, sounds really good @ 12wpc

3 inputs, headphone stage, etc.   $500 with air shipping

[sbrtoy]

That Yaquin looks like it is OEM of the Markhill products being sold here now....they sounded nice at RMAF last year for the $$ and the price you listed is again much less...just no support or service.

I would say like anything, value is in your own mind and at your own comfort level.  Many people are very happy purchasing only used gear but others who have been burned feel differently. 

[mgalusha]

TheTubeAmpStore.com (http://www.thetubeampstore.com) had a room at the last RMAF and they had quite an assortment of low cost Chinese amps. According to their site they offer a 1yr warranty on the products they sell. I've never done business with them but they seem to have a decent variety available.

[sbrtoy]

Yep, they are the Markhill distributor...again you pay more for the assurance of warranty and service....

[bacobits1]

Definitely look at Vista audio in these price ranges. Not Chinese.
You have all the back up you want and guarantee.
http://www.vista-audio.com/products.htm
I have the i34 and will comment more next week
in the manufacturers board.

I'm telling you, don't pass this up!!
Look

Den

[bluesky]

I hate to be a party pooper on this but do need to say that you need to be aware of some issues with the Chinese amps and these have been reported to me by several friends.  I do have to add that I have a Chinese amp but got it from a local distributor here in Australia.

The voltages can sometimes vary widely and one friend has recently cooked several caps due to over voltages.  Another friend is happy with his 845 amp but has to use a Variac to ensure an appopriate power supply.

So my experience is that yes, you do get good value, but it is best if you know how to fix small problems that may arise and be especially careful and take the time to check and make sure that there is safe grounding with whatever you buy.

Bluesky

[Bill Baker]

The voltages can sometimes vary widely and one friend has recently cooked several caps due to over voltages.

 This is the one main problem with [some] Chinese manufactured tube products. I still get several inquires a month asking if I can service a tube product that was purchased direct from China. Most have had problems with components failing prematurely due to teh over voltages mentioned. In the past, more than half of these product ended up becoming boat anchors. I have written about this time and time again and also have a page dedicated to this on my websites so I won't go into details here.

 There are many good deals to be found but it can be a crap shoot. As mentioned above, it is highly recommended to buy from a distributor here in the US that stands behind the product and has been around a while. Be cautious of any distributor that just came on scene "yesterday" and has no track record as they may not be there tomorrow when you need them for service work.

 Just looking out.